Typewriter-line guide



Oct. 27,1925. 1,559,485

. H. E. WEST 'nrzwm'rzn LINE cums mm July 28, 1923 Patented Oct. 27,1925.

UNITED STATES HAZAEL E. WEST, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

TYPEWRITER-LINE GUIDE.

Application filed July 28, 1923.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I. HAZAEI, l). lVns'r. acitizen of the United i tates, residing at lvashington. in the Districtof Columbia.

have invented certain new and useful improvements in Typewriter-LineGuides: and do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, andexact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilledin the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The present invention relates to improve ments in typewriter line guidesparticularly useful in conjunction with typewriters, such as theUnderwood, in which the case-shift frame shifts upwardly from a normalposition whenever capital letters are to be typed.

An object of the invention is to eliminate the highly objectionabledefect in present models of typewriters using a (aSP'Slllft frame thatlifts when shifting, but provided with a line guide that is rigid withthe under frame of the machine. and so. not capable of moving upwardwith the rising caseshift 25 frame on shifting. The difiicultyexperienced in the use of that type of machine is that. on attempting totype near the bottom of the page. that is after the sheet has left theunder-side feed rolls, it is practically impossible to shift without thesheet being pulled above the stationary line guide. Consequently, whenthe shift is released and the case-shift frame descends, the bottom ofthe sheet hangs on the line guide and is pulled out of alinement andoften entirely out of range of the type, so that the sheet must beremoved from the machine before finished.

lt is another object of the invention to provide a line guide that ismovable with the case-shift frame and that bears a constant fixedrelation to the platen and is adapted to be shifted with the platen andcase-shift frame without changing the relation of the paper thereto oraffording the possibility of the lower edge of the paper getting abovethe line guide when the shift occurs.

Serial No. 654,447.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a line guide in asimilar mechanical form at relatively small cost suitable for attachmentto existing machines without requiring alteration and equally adaptablefor initial installation upon factory made typewriters, such line guidebeing formed in one or more pieces of metal or other appropriatematerial and being constructed to avoid any binding action upon theplaten.

\Vith the foregoing and other objects in view the invention will bedescribed more particularly hereinafter in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings and the features of novelty will be pointed outdistinctly in the appended claim.

In the drawings wherein like parts are denoted by like symbolsthroughout the several views,

Figure 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of portions of an Underwoodtypewriter frame and carriage including the shaft mechanism and showingthe invention applied thereto.

Figure 2 is a vertical section taken transversely through the same andshowing the carriage in the normal low position.

Figure 3 is a similar view with the carriage raised.

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the improved line guide, and

Figure 5 is a similar view showing a slight modification.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, 6 designates generally thecarriage of an Underwood typewriter mounted in the customary way in theframe which is shown partially at 7. The carriage 6 is provided with theplaten 8 over which the sheet of paper 9 travels. The shift key bars arerepresented at 10 and they pivot upon a rod 11 carried in a wellunderstood manner by the under frame of the machine which has beenomitted for clearness in illustration. The shift key bars 10 areprovided with upwardly extending arms 12 positioned and disposed toengage behind the frame ends or brackets 13 of the platen shiftingframe. said frame ends or brackets being pivoted upon the frame andhinging about rods l t. These frame ends or brackets 13 are coir nectedto the typewriter case-shift frame for lifting the same and by acomparison of Figures 2 and 3 it will be made clear as to the relativepositions of the parts in the normal and raised positions of thecarriage.

Now in accordance with existing constructions in typewriters of thiskind, the line guide which is designated at 15 is mounted fixedly andimmovably upon the under frame of the typewriter and it does not partakeof the movement of the case-shift frame. Consequently when a she t ofpaper such as indicated at 9 in Figure 1 arrives at the positionillustrated with its lower edge inst beneath the line guide 15, anyshifting of the case will bring the paper edge above the top edge of theline guide where it will catch on the following descent of the caseshift frame.

To avoid this the present invention aims to mount the line guide 15 upona portion of the elevating mechanisms for the caseshift frame to causesuch line guide to participate in the shifting movement of thecase-shift frame whereby its relation to the platen 8 and to the paper 9wound about will at all times remain constant and fixed irrespective ofthe position of the platen.

To accomplish this the line guide is preferably made in the form shownin Figure 4 in which such line guide is shown to be made generally afterthe same design and shape as at present used employing the wings 16 and17 at opposite sides of the central type slot 18 through which the typeenters to make the impression upon paper. The wings stand up from thetransverse bar which forms the body of the line guide and these wingsmay be provided with straight or sloping upper edges or a combination ofboth as shown in the drawings. The line guide in the instance shownextends laterally in the form of flanges 19. which flanges extend out toa position substantially in front of the frame ends or brackets 13 andthe flanges extend downwardly and are preferably of considerable widthaffording the necessary amount of material to impart rigidity andstrength to the line guide and to the supporting arms 20 of the lineguide. connected with the lower relatively wide et ges of the flanges19.

The arms 20 are curved downwardly and rearwardly from the flanges andare preferably bifurcated at their lower rear ends as indicated at 21 toenable the same to straddle the frame ends or brackets 13 to which saidarms are secured as by the pins or bolts 22, it being understood that arigid connection is made between these two parts to positively shift theline guide with the brackets. Now the arms 20 may be made in one piecewith the line guide and with the flanges 19 and commercially the entireline guide and its supporting means will probably be stamped out ofsheet metal which will thereupon be bent in the shape shown anddescribed. he lower edge of the line guide is adapted to tit in thelower position of the ase-shi'l't frame upon a portion of the underframe upon which it accurately seats, the space provided by thedownwardly otl set parts 23 of the typewriter frame is taken advantageof to receive the downwardly extending portion of the flanges 19 and thearms 20 are so bent as to pass about its downwardly offset frameportions and to avoid contact or in terference with other parts of themechanism. The wings lti and 17 are of course provided with the scale inaccordance with the usual practice.

Now in Figure 5 the wings 16 and 16 are made separately from the lineguide bar 15 and these wings are pivoted to the bar as indicated at 24,there being coil or other springs associated with the pivot joints inorder to yieldingly urge the wings against the platen 8. In this formthe line guide or its wings will exert a pressure upon the paper 9 andthe spring and pivoted character of the wings enables them to yieldforwardly when the case is shifted so as to avoid any binding againstthe platen. 'lhe springs constantly maintain a tension upon the sheetsof paper upon the platen and this acts to silence the sound ordinarilyproduced by the action of the type in striking the paper. particularlyif the paper is held loosely upon the platen which is com mon with thepresent form of line guide and paper feed rollers.

The body of the line guide in this case is made substantially inaccordance with the consti uction previously described in corn junctionwith Figure 4 although it is to be understood that modifications in theshape. size and proportion of the various parts may be resorted to inmaking the improvement applicable to typewriters of various makes.

It will be appreciated that with the line guide so constructed andcarried that the paper will be effectually prevented from escaping overthe paper edge of the line guide and the position of the paper will beconstantly preserved and held intact without regard to the position ofthe case-shift frame until the paper by the ordinary feeding mechanismis finally released from the platen. It will be found that not only thelast two or three lines upon the paper sheet may be typed Withregularity and correct alinement but that the typing of a last linedirectly contiguous to the bottom edge of the sheet may be carried outwith as much regularity and with as good alinement as lines made in thebody of the sheet.

\Vhat is claimed is In a typewriter having an under frame,

5 a case-shift frame thereon, a platen mounted in the case-shift frame,pivoted brackets in the under frame coupled to the case-shift frame andacted on by the shift keys, a line guide comprising a body bar, wingspivot ally mounted on said bar and spring pressed toward the platen, andsaid bar extending to the sides of the machine and provided withdownwardly extending lugs, and curved arms secured to said lugs andextending to the pivoted brackets.

HAZAEL E. WEST.

